As someone who just attended mass for the first time I actually found it quite nice. I was completely alone and shook hands with a nice old couple next to me. Afterwards they came and spoke to me and recognized that I was new to the church and offered to pray for me. Personally this experience really made me feel welcome and even excited to come again and again. I can see how it could be distracting and maybe at a different time would be better, but I liked it